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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672440">Treehouses; Where Memories are Made</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl6202/pseuds/fangirl6202'>fangirl6202</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Up in the Trees [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brotherhood, Childhood, Childhood Memories, Flashbacks, Fluff, Good Boyfriend Spot Conlon, Good Parent Medda Larkson | Medda Larkin, Growing Up, Hispanic Spot Conlon, Italian Racetrack Higgins, Lawyer Spot Conlon, M/M, Marriage, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:47:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,771</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl6202/pseuds/fangirl6202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Boys, these here are the Conlon's: our new neighbors."</p><p>The four stared at the new people, a young mother and father, in front of them but mostly at the little boy with them. </p><p>It was quiet all for a few seconds, but it was Race who stepped out from behind his Mama's legs, staring at the boy before sticking a hand out.</p><p>"I'm Racer."</p><p>The boy's eyes widened at Race's outstretched hand, and he looked up at his parents as if asking their permission. They smiled and nodded at their son, who in turn shyly smiled back at Race.</p><p>"... I'm Spot."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Up in the Trees [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Treehouses; Where Memories are Made</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>"Boys! You get yourselves down here!"</p><p>The children in question were the Larkin kids, four young boys who were by no way blood-related, but were tighter than most families who were.</p><p>The four were up in their treehouse, where they spent most of their days. A small assortment of bean bags and a toy chest was all that was up there, but that was all they needed. Up there, they played and laughed and lived out a perfect childhood.</p><p>“Look! A shark!" Young Romeo cried out, pointing to his brother Jack.</p><p>Jack was now 10, a little too old to be playing these games, but nonetheless, he immediately crouched down and began to walk menacingly towards his little brother.</p><p>"Ahh! Save me!" He cried out and Anthony and Albert jumped to action.</p><p>"Don't worry, Prince Ro!" Anthony yelled, grabbing at the toy sword tucked into his belt loops. "Sir Anthony and Sir Albert will protect you!"</p><p>"Knights didn't fight sharks," Romeo said, tilting his head and pouting.</p><p>"Oh hush, you don't know that."</p><p>With a yell, Jack threw himself at the two boys, who easily sidestepped and let him just attack their youngest brother.</p><p>As Romeo got tickled to death, Anthony and Albert were busy whacking Jack with their foam swords, all four of them screaming and laughing in the way only children seemed to do.</p><p> </p><p>"Boys! Come down now!"</p><p> </p><p>The four stopped within a breath.</p><p>Jack hoisted Romeo on his back, his little arms wrapping around Jack's neck, and he stuck his head out the window.</p><p>"We'll be right down mama!"</p><p>The boys dropped everything and quickly scurried down the ladder, rushing over to where their mother was the second their feet touched the ground.</p><p>But they all stopped when they saw she wasn't alone.</p><p> </p><p>"Boys, these here are the Conlon's: our new neighbors."</p><p> </p><p>The four stared at the new people, a young mother and father, in front of them but mostly at the little boy with them. Around Jack and Anthony's age, with choppy black hair and tan skin, a few scratches on his arms that were proof of his ventures into the wilderness that were backyards.</p><p>It was quiet all for a few seconds, but it was Anthony who stepped out from behind his Mama's legs, staring at the boy before sticking a hand out.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm Anthony."</p><p> </p><p>The boy's eyes widened at Anthony's outstretched hand, and he looked up at his parents as if asking their permission. They smiled and nodded at their son, who in turn shyly smiled back at Anthony.</p><p> </p><p>"... I'm Spot."</p><p> </p><p>"This is Jack, Albert, and Romeo," he said, pointing at his brother's, and Jack took that as his cue to take a step forward and smile.</p><p>"Hi, Spot. You want to play pirate knights with us?"</p><p>A bright grin blossomed on Spot's face and he nodded enthusiastically before even looking back at his parents. Luckily his mom and dad smiled down and nodded.</p><p>"Anthony, why don't take you Spot back to the treehouse?" Medda said, smiling at her boy. "I'll call you all down for dinner."</p><p>The four boys smiled, leaning up to kiss her cheek, and Anthony didn't hesitate in holding his hand out to Spot. He didn't hesitate in taking it.</p><p>As the two boys ran towards the treehouse, laughing and smiling with the other Larkin boys, both had a single thought running through their minds: This boy is going to be my best friend.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, who ordered coffee this late?" Jack asked as he climbed the ladder with one hand, balancing the McDonald's bag in the other. Romeo and Albert rushed over to help him, digging through the contents of the bag the moment they could get their greedy little hands over it.</p><p>"Who do you think, asshole?" Racer laughed, reaching over to grab his drink, only temporarily leaving the warmth of his boyfriend's arms. </p><p>Spot groaned at his antics but accepted the happy meal Race put in his hands and kissed his temple. "You're not gonna sleep till midnight, are you?" He asked, popping a fry into his mouth and stealing a sip from Race's frappe.</p><p>"I'm sure you'll think of a way to tire me out," Race said, winking at the same time his brothers let out groans of disgust.</p><p>"Fucking insatiable," Spot laughed, and Romeo gagged.</p><p>"Can't you wait until you're back at your apartment to be gross?" Albert asked, and Race shrugged at his little brother. They could, really, but Jack was home for the first time this semester and damn if they weren't going to mess with him as much as they could.</p><p>When Jack first told his family that he was considering a college all the way out in New Mexico, Race had nearly had an anxiety attack. He didn't know how he was going to handle Jack being so far away. It had taken a while to adjust, it just felt wrong to only have three brothers in the house, but by the time Jack had come home that year for Christmas, the Larkins had gotten used to it. </p><p> </p><p>Then Race moved out the next year.</p><p> </p><p>He had gotten accepted into the dance school of his dreams, and while he could have stayed at home, it wasn't that hard of a commute, he wanted to experience the city and all that it had to offer. He had moved out, got an apartment and a cat named McChicken, and that was that. Within a month, though, it felt like something was missing. He knew what it was, knew how to fix it, but he just didn't know how to bring it up.</p><p>Luckily enough for him, Spot knew what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth.</p><p>"As long as I never have to clean McChicken's litterbox, Higgins," Spot had said as he opened the door to his dorm. "I'll move in with you."</p><p>Three years went by quicker than the pair could have ever foreseen, and they were happy. Spot was almost done with law school, Race had gotten a job at a dance studio, and they were so happy. They visited home often, Medda often had them over for Sunday dinner, and since Albert and Romeo decided they'd live at home while going to school, the house was once again full of laughter and screaming. </p><p>And the treehouse. The treehouse was still there.</p><p>It had grown up with them in a way. The bean bags were still there, but so was a sofa and a projector that was currently playing a Star Wars movie no one was really paying attention to. The four brothers each had a wall they decorated however they wanted, and while his own was nowhere as artistic as Jack's, he was proud of it. </p><p>A cute beige color, colorful christmas lights hanging above the programs he had from high school and a few from his college shows. He had a few mementos tacked to the wall, tickets from Spot and Jack's football games, drawings from Jack, stories Albert had written that made it into the local newspaper, costume designs Romeo had made in his theatre classes.</p><p> </p><p>But what he loved most were the photos. </p><p> </p><p>Photos of everyone he loved, spanning from when they were around 10 to photos from last year. He laughed at photos of him and Spot in middle school, not even knowing how in love they were and their god awful haircuts. Photos of his family with and without him in them, considering he was adopted last, photos his brothers had taken of him dancing, little polaroids of him and Spot on dates, and of their cat. Even photos of Jack's friends in Santa Fe, though they were all sure that David was becoming more than a friend. </p><p>"I've missed this," Race said after a bit of silence, talking around the fries Spot was feeding him. "A lot."</p><p>He had grown used to not seeing all his brothers, but that didn't mean he didn't miss their movie nights and family dinners and treehouse adventures. </p><p>It was almost insane to think that in this very treehouse, his senior year of high school, he told Spot he loved him for the first time. The amount of sex they had had in the treehouse was frankly concerning, and they were absolutely never going to tell his brothers about it, but even that made Race smile. This treehouse was just as important to the Larkin's as anything. </p><p>"Definitely," Jack said, not taking his eyes off the screen, probably because of his massive crush on Obi-Wan. "I need to come home more often."</p><p>Race perked up, realizing he had an opening. Gesturing to Spot, he asked with his eyes if now was a good time to bring it up. Spot grinned, nodding his permission, and Race sat up a little straighter. </p><p> </p><p>"Y'know Jack, you're gonna have to come back home next summer...for the wedding." </p><p> </p><p>For a moment, no one moved, no one said a word. </p><p> </p><p>"The what?!" Albert screamed, and like that, all his brothers were on them, and Race laughed as they pulled him on his feet and forced him into a group hug. </p><p>"Assholes!" Jack cried out, grabbing Race and pulling him into a solo hug that nearly crushed every bone in his body. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"</p><p>"We wanted to tell you in person," Race said, grinning so hard it hurt. </p><p>"Who proposed?!" Romeo asked, ever the hopeless romantic.</p><p>"I did," Spot laughed, grabbing Race's hand and placing a kiss on his knuckles. "We went on a picnic under the docks like we always did in high school, and I asked him at sunset." </p><p>"I don't think I even let him ask me, I just said yes," Race laughed. It was true; the moment he had turned and saw Spot on his knee, the ring in hand, he had just started violently nodding and crying. He had said yes before Spot even got a word out. </p><p>The rest of the night was spent drinking in congratulations to them, (they even let Romeo in on it, even though he was the youngest.) Of course they had alcohol hidden up there and they were all somewhat sure Medda knew about it, and Race knew he couldn't wait to add more photos to his wall.</p><p>His wedding photos. </p><p>He snuggled into his fiancé's embrace, feeling warm and fuzzy besides the tequila in him, and he realized this was a new chapter in his life. He was getting married and his brothers were all going to be together again once Jack graduated. </p><p> </p><p>God he couldn't wait. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If this isn't the fucking cutest thing. </p><p>God I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lover fics, and what better pair than these two? </p><p>It was kind of weird writing a fic where Jack doesn't hate the idea of Spot &amp; Race, so that was something fun and lovely. </p><p>I really enjoyed writing this so I hope you enjoyed reading this 💞 leave me some comments!!! I love validation!!! </p><p>Thanks!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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